Monday, December 19, 2011
Saab dies
After a couple years of flailing around, Saab finally goes down. Chinese companies were trying to buy the brand and patents, but GM, the last owner, refused to sell the patents and technology to China. (At first I thought this was gutsy, because GM mainly sells to China nowadays. Then I realized it was just good business for a Chinese company like GM to keep its patents away from other Chinese companies.)
No loss. Overrated and overpriced. I owned a '70 Saab 96 when it was only 7 years old, and it was a terrible car. The interior was interesting, with its late '40s feel, but not nearly as comfortable as my favorite Renault. The 4-speed column shift constantly stuck in no gear at all, or in two gears at once. Sometimes the lever actually came off.
The famous Swedish traction in snow? Nope. Not nearly as good as my favorite Renault.
Auto history writers like to emphasize that car companies usually fail because of bad management, not bad cars. Saab is an exception to the rule. ¶ 5:24 AM
No loss. Overrated and overpriced. I owned a '70 Saab 96 when it was only 7 years old, and it was a terrible car. The interior was interesting, with its late '40s feel, but not nearly as comfortable as my favorite Renault. The 4-speed column shift constantly stuck in no gear at all, or in two gears at once. Sometimes the lever actually came off.
The famous Swedish traction in snow? Nope. Not nearly as good as my favorite Renault.
Auto history writers like to emphasize that car companies usually fail because of bad management, not bad cars. Saab is an exception to the rule. ¶ 5:24 AM
